Curry Udon Recipe

Brown the beef

Heat 2 tbs vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Pat the beef cubes dry and season lightly with salt and pepper. Add half the beef to the pot in a single layer and brown without moving 2–3 minutes, then stir and brown on remaining sides. Remove browned beef to a plate and repeat with remaining beef.

Sauté aromatics and vegetables

Reduce heat to medium. Add the sliced onion to the same pot and sauté 6–8 minutes until soft and starting to caramelize, scraping up browned bits. Add minced garlic and ginger and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant. Add carrot and potato and cook 2–3 minutes, stirring to coat with oil and onion.

Simmer the broth

Return the browned beef to the pot. Pour in 1200 ml dashi stock and 300 ml water, scraping any fond from the bottom. Bring to a simmer, then lower heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover partially and simmer 25–30 minutes, or until beef is tender and vegetables are cooked through.

Finish with curry roux

Turn off the heat. Remove 1 ladle (roughly 120–150 ml) of hot broth into a small bowl and stir in the chopped 80 g Japanese curry roux until melted to make a smooth slurry. Return the slurry to the pot and stir to dissolve fully. If using block roux, break it into pieces as you add. Stir in 1 tbs soy sauce, 1 tbs mirin, 1 tsp brown sugar, and adjust salt and black pepper to taste. Return to very low heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the broth thickens slightly into a velvety curry consistency. If the curry becomes too thick, thin with up to 100–200 ml additional dashi or water.

Prepare udon

Bring a separate large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the fresh (or frozen) udon noodles and cook according to package instructions—usually 2–4 minutes for fresh, 4–6 for frozen—until heated through and tender. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Drain and briefly rinse under hot tap water to remove surface starch and keep noodles glossy. Divide noodles between serving bowls.

Assemble bowls

Reheat the curry broth if necessary until just simmering. Ladle the hot beef curry broth over the udon in each bowl so noodles are fully submerged. Top each bowl with thinly sliced green onions, a sprinkle of tempura flakes (tenkasu) or fried shallots, toasted sesame seeds, and 1 tbs pickled red ginger per bowl. If using soft-cooked eggs, halve them and place one half per serving on top. Finish with a light dusting of shichimi togarashi if desired.

Serve

Serve the curry udon immediately while hot. Provide extra pickled ginger and shichimi at the table. Leftover curry broth can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; rewarm gently and thin with stock or water if needed.